


Two For The Price of One

by balrogtweety



Category: NCIS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-06-21
Packaged: 2018-11-17 02:02:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11265645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/balrogtweety/pseuds/balrogtweety
Summary: Tony comes across a case that was solved by Violent Crimes.  So why was it in the Cold Case files?  Tony tends to find out.





	Two For The Price of One

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write my first case with NCIS. I came across this case that was on the show Forensic Files. I converted it so that the characters were Naval personnel. All names have been changed.

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE

　

Tony was sitting at his desk checking out his emails when he heard the elevator ding. He watched as McGee came out with a tray of coffee in his hands.

“Morning Tim,” Tony said.

“Morning Tony,” McGee replied. “Morning, Boss. Brought coffee.” He handed out the coffees and then stopped at Ziva’s desk, which looked like she wasn’t in yet.

“Morning McGee,” Gibbs replied.

“Where’s Ziva?” McGee asked.

“She’s at FLETC for the next three weeks,” Tony replied. “We will be on cold cases for that length of time. Director said we can’t go into the field with a three man team.”

“Man that sucks,” McGee retorted. “Sorry Boss.”

“No need to be sorry,” Gibbs replied. “I also have to work on cold cases. Director tells me that my skills at reading files need to be refined. Whatever that means. So, I got Tony to go get a stack. If either of you find something that needs to be checked outside this building, we go in pairs. But if we have to arrest someone then we have to grab one of Balboa’s team members to go with us. So until then, let’s get to work.”

Tony opened the file before him and started reading:

The case involved the bludgeoning of a wife and the shooting of a man on June 30, 2014.

_According to the husband, Staff Sergeant Murray Stanton, he was exercising in the basement when he heard a scuffle upstairs. He took off to where he heard a noise, picked up his gun in the hallway desk, to find a man bludgeoning his wife, Mary, with a hammer in the dining room. He took aim and shot the intruder. He then called 911._

_Violent Crimes unit arrived after a few minutes. They took in the scene and one of the officers took pictures. They checked to see if either person was alive. The paramedics arrived to take the two people to the hospital where the doctor pronounced them dead on arrival._

_The unit canvassed the area to see if anyone heard anything out of the ordinary. One witness said she heard a loud bang and then a pause for about five minutes then another loud bang. She heard the first one when she was getting groceries out of the car and the other when she filled the kettle with water._

_After putting the case together, they found that Staff Sergeant Murray Stanton was defending his wife from being killed. He became a hero in his community._

Tony looked over the case with the detectives skills he picked up and something did not add up with the file. Why was this case in the cold cases? He then took out the pictures of the case and got up from his desk to use Ziva’s because of more room.

Each picture was of the crime scene. He then went to his desk to get the file and compare the two to see if the evidence corroborated with the photos.

Gibbs watched as Tony got up and place photos on Ziva’s desk. He knew his SIC was troubled with the file. He got up, went to Ziva’s desk, and stood beside him.

“Something wrong?” Gibbs asked the puzzled face beside him.

“Yeah,” Tony replied. “This case was in the cold case files but it was solved. I want to know why it is here in the first place. Right now I’m comparing the photos with the report and something is not adding up.”

McGee knew that his partner was a great detective. After looking up Tony’s file, he knew with his mind and detective skills that Tony was an enigma. He knew there was a way that Tony’s mind worked was a way only Tony could understand. He got up from his chair, stood in front of them, and listened.

The photo that stood out with the rest was the position of the bodies in the room. Both bodies were facing the entryway to the hall with their feet beside one another but the statement of Staff Sergeant Stanton when he said he shot the intruder did not add up.

“According to the statement of Stanton, if he shot the intruder, the intruder should have fallen with his head to the back wall where the phone is situated, not in the same direction that his wife was on the floor. If he cradled his wife‘s head in his lap, she should have been face up but her face was down. Also, if the wife’s head was in his lap then there should have been blood on his pants. There wasn’t any.”

“Would you like help, Tony?” McGee asked.

“I could use some help, thanks McGee,” Tony replied. “Could you look up the name Maxwell Caulder and see what you can find? He was shot by Stanton. According to the file, Caulder drove Mrs. Stanton and her daughter from the airport to home. He was driving erratically. When she got home, she then wrote down what had happened and left it on the refrigerator door. According to Stanton, he has a civil suit against the company.”

“On it,” McGee replied as he went to his desk and closed the file he was working on. He got on his computer and went to work.

“Do you have the 911 call, Tony?” Gibbs asked.

“Yeah it’s on this stick.” Tony handed a stick to Gibbs.

Gibbs took the stick and went to his computer. Some people thought that Gibbs and computers did not get along but that was what he wanted people to think. With some of the training that McGee gave him at his home in private, he became more proficient. He stuck the stick into his monitor and put on his headphones.

Tony was going over the photos and saw something that didn’t make sense. According to the photos, the bullet casings were beside his wife’s body. When thinking back to the firing range, the gun sent the casing over his right shoulder. If the casing was beside his wife that means that Stanton was standing by the phone when he pulled the trigger.

Gibbs hit play.

“991 what is your emergency?”

“I just found a man in my house and he was beating my wife with a hammer. My wife is bleeding on the floor.” Gibbs could hear the pleading in the man’s voice.

“Is your wife still alive?”

“I don’t know. I think I heard her breathing when I had her head in my lap.”

“Is the intruder dead?”

“I don’t know. He’s making weird sounds.”

“Is the man still in your house?”

“Yes, he’s lying on the floor with a bullet in his head.”

“Did you shoot him?”

“Yes I did. He was killing my wife. I think I hear my baby crying, I need to get to her.”

Gibbs then hears the disconnection.

“Huh”. Gibbs mumbled. He got up from his desk and walked over to Tony. “How many casings were on the floor?”

“Two, why?”

“Because on the 911 tape, Stanton explicitly stated that there was ‘a’ bullet in his head. What did the eyewitnesses say about gunshots?”

“There was only one witness,” Tony replied as he pulled out the statement. “She said that when she was getting groceries out of her car she heard a bang. The second bang occurred about five minutes later.”

“So if he shot him twice, there should be a second bullet somewhere,” Gibbs said.

“There was,” Tony said as he pulled out the autopsy file. “It says here that there was only one shot but when EMT’s picked up Caulder’s body, the police found a bullet in the floor.”

“So the first bullet didn’t exit the skull then?” Gibbs asked.

“No. Ducky found the bullet in the back of his head. It says here that his brain looked scrambled. But here’s the thing Boss: if Stanton shot Caulder from the hallway, Caulder should have went backwards to where the phone was on the wall. This photo clearly shows that the bodies were facing the direction of the hallway. Also, the bullet casing was not where they should have ended up. I have never seen a bullet casing eject forward into a room. They come out and pan to the right at a forty-five degree angle from the shooters body.”

“Is there a photo of the wall where the phone is located?” Gibbs asked as he got a magnifier out of the top of Ziva’s desk.

Tony looked at all the photos and came up with one. “Here it is.”

Gibbs took the photo to his desk and adjusted the lamp over the photo. He then took the magnifier and panned the photo. On the wall, it looked like there was an indentation of something hitting it.

“Got it,” Gibbs stated. “Is the SIM card of the photos there?”

“Yeah,” Tony replied as he found the pocket in the file.

“Let’s go,” Gibbs said as they made their way to see Abby.

“What can I do for you Gibbs?” Abby asked without looking up from where she was on the floor.

“What are you doing down there?” Tony asked as she held up her hand for him to pick her up from the floor.

“Calibrating Major MASPEC. He’s acting up again.”

“We need your help, Abby,” Gibbs stated. He then filled her in on the cold case and handed the SIM card to her. “We need the photo of the wall that the phone is connected to.”

Abby put the card into her computer and brought up the photo. “Now what?”

“OK Bloat, we are looking for an indentation in the wall,” Tony stated then laughed.

Abby chuckled and got the photo blown up until the ding was present. She got the reference to the movie Finding Nemo.

“Now that looks like an indentation that a bullet casing would have made when it came in contact.”

“I agree with you Tony,” Abby replied.

“That means that when Stanton shot Caulder he was facing the hallway. That would explain the one casing beside his wife and the other one when he shot Caulder on the floor was closer to the wall. But why would he bludgeon his wife to death?”

“I have an answer to that,” Tim replied as he walked into the room with papers in his hand. “I found out that Stanton is suing the company that transports passengers to their homes after arriving by plane. Mrs. Stanton came back from her parents in Florida with their baby girl. Caulder was driving erratically and when she came home, she wrote out what happened on the drive home. Violent Crimes stated that Caulder was hospitalized three times for psychological evaluations. His parents said he didn’t have these kinds of tendencies to kill someone. He wasn’t a violent man according to his mother. There is also a life insurance on her for $500,000.”

“Did you find out what Stanton is up to now?” Tony asked Tim.

“Yes. He’s remarried. He married the nanny three years ago and has two more children. Currently he is in Somalia and won’t be back in the States for eight more months. He’s currently doing two tours over there.”

“Abby, could you go over the clothes that Stanton was wearing the day of the murders?” Gibbs asked. “If he cradled his wife’s head on his lap there should be blood all over it and if there isn’t…”

“I’ll find it,” Abby completed his statement. “I need one more hour with Major MASPEC then I’ll go and get the evidence.”

“Thanks Abby,” Gibbs said and kissed her cheek before leaving.

When they arrived at the bullpen, Director Vance was waiting for them.

“May I ask where the three of you went off to?” Vance asked.

“Tony came across a closed case but somehow ended up in the cold case files,” Gibbs replied. “So he went over the case and things didn’t add up. We found out that there were two shots fired and the casings were not where they should have landed. McGee found out Stanton is suing the company that drove his wife home from the airport. She was visiting her parents in Florida. She said in a written statement before being murdered that Caulder was driving erratically from the airport to their home. There is also a $500,000 life insurance policy on the wife. The community called him a hero.”

“That is unusual for something like that to happen,” Vance replied. “So where do you stand?”

“Abby is tweaking Major MASPEC then she is on the case,” Tony replied. “We also found a ding in the wall where the phone was located. That means he was facing Caulder when he shot him. I’m going to make sure the photos match up with the case. McGee found out that Stanton remarried and is serving two tours in Somalia. He won’t be home for another eight months.”

“Then make sure that he doesn’t get away with murder,” Vance replied.

“On it,” Tony replied and went to work on the photos. It was then he found a packet of photos in the file. He took them out and looked them over.

As Tony was looking at the photos, he noticed something on the table: a cup of coffee and a pack of cigarettes. As he scanned the photo, he noticed that there was no ashtray. There was also a picture of a car in the street and one of the victims on the floor.

“Gibbs, why was this case not brought to us?” Tony asked. “Instead it was brought to the Violent Crimes Unit.”

“I don’t know,” Gibbs replied. “Let’s go to Violent Crimes and find out.” He then turned to McGee. “Find me everything you can on Stanton. Something set him off.”

McGee nodded and went to work.

Tony brought the file along with the three photos as well as the stick with the 911 call.

Tony and Gibbs arrived in Violent Crimes a few minutes later. They asked to speak to Special Agent McCoy.

A few minutes later, a man with impeccable looks came up to them.

“Special Agent McCoy. What can I do for you Special Agent Gibbs?”

They walked back to McCoy’s office.

“This is Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, my Second In Command. Tony came across a file in our cold cases that was solved. It’s the case of Staff Sergeant Murray Stanton. He shot a man that killed his wife. We want to know why this case did not come to us.”

“I have no idea,” McCoy said as he handed out coffee. “The case came to us and we solved it but there was something about the case that didn’t add up. My supervisor told us to wrap up the case and move on since it was solved. But there are a few of us that said some things didn’t add up. That’s why I stuck three photos in an envelope for someone to see that didn’t make sense to me. I filed it in the cold cases. I still can’t figure it out.”

“I think I did figure it out,” Tony replied as he put the photos on the desk. “This photo with the coffee cup and the cigarettes looks like Caulder was visiting. I have never found a killer bringing coffee to a crime scene. Also, the photo of the two people on the floor is in the wrong position. If he shot Caulder, Caulder would have fallen towards the wall where the phone resides, not in the same position that his wife was in. I also found out that the shell casings should not have been in the position they ended up. I have never heard a casing moving forward from a gun. Right now we have Abby Scuito looking into the evidence to see if there was blood on his lap being that he held his wife’s head.”

“Well I’ll be.” McCoy was astonished. “We found the car on the street and it belonged to Caulder. In it, there was a note with his writing on with a time and address. His roommate said that he wrote something down on a note pad the left.”

“We looked at one photo,” Tony continued, “and found a ding or indentation on the wall. I think Caulder came into the room and found Stanton killing his wife with a hammer. Then Stanton took his gun, backed up into the room and shot Caulder making him fall right beside his wife in the same direction his wife was laying. This resulted in the indentation in the wall. That was the shot the witness first heard. He then called 911 reporting his wife was killed and when he heard Caulder moving, he ended the call, and then shot Caulder while he lay on the floor. That’s the second shot the witness heard. That’s where the second bullet was lodged in the floor. The casing ended up on the floor next to his wife.”

“How did you solve this one?” McCoy asked.

“Tony has a mind that amazes everyone,” Gibbs said. He was proud of Tony.

“I’m what you would call an ‘outside the box thinker’,” Tony replied. “My mind doesn’t work like others.”

Just then, Gibbs got a call. “Gibbs.” He then turned to Tony. “We’ll be right there.” He then hung up his phone.

“What’s up Boss?” Tony asked.

“You are never going to believe this,” Gibbs replied. “Bethesda Hospital called. Stanton came home early. He was shot in the chest. They don’t know for sure if he’s going to make it.”

“Gibbs, can I come with you?” McCoy asked. “I want to look him in the eye and see if he confesses to the killing.”

“Let’s go,” Gibbs said. He then made a call to Director Vance and filled him in. He also told him that he was taking an agent from Violent Crimes with them from the original case.

They arrived at Bethesda and made their way to the front desk. “Special Agent Gibbs, Tony DiNozzo and McCoy. We would like to talk to someone in charge regarding a patient.”

“Tony, what are you doing here?” Dr. Brad Pitt asked. “You’re not sick are you?”

“Brad, no,” Tony replied as he gave Brad a hug. “We’re here to talk to the doctor looking after Staff Sergeant Murray Stanton.”

“That would be me,” Brad replied. “What interest is he to you?”

“He’s involved in murdering his former wife and another man,” Tony replied.

“How do you know this doctor?” McCoy asked.

“He saved my life from the plague,” Tony stated.

“The plague?” McCoy stammered. “As in the Black Death?”

“Yeah,” Tony replied. “A few years after I started, someone mailed a letter to the office. Me being stupid opened the envelope that contained a SWAK when a white powder came out. We found it contained the pneumonic plague. Gibbs found out that there was a time release on it and made his way to me. He told me I did not have his permission to die. It took me weeks to get better but it came with a condition: my lungs are scarred for life.”

“Well, as for your suspect, he’s going to make it,” Brad stated. “I operated on him because the bullet lodged itself in his sternum, shattering it. Some of the bone fragments went into his lungs but we were able to repair the sacs. He’s under heavy sedation and in an induced coma until we get him stable.”

“Would it be all right to place a guard on his room?” McCoy asked.

“Yes you can,” Brad replied. “May I ask why?”

“We want to monitor who sees him including your staff,” McCoy said. “Has his wife been called?”

“Yes she has,” Brad said. “She’s actually in route.”

Tony then looked at Gibbs.

“What is it Tony?” Gibbs asked as he saw something in his agent’s eyes.

“Nothing,” Tony replied. He knew that Gibbs would talk to him later.

“When he comes out of his induced coma would you let us know?” McCoy asked.

“I will,” Brad replied. “Now I have to get back to my patients. Tony, I don’t want to see you before next month’s appointment.”

“Yes Sir!” Tony stood at attention with a salute.

“Sir?” McCoy asked.

“He’s a Commander,” Tony smirked.

“Ha,” McCoy said.

“I have just the agent to guard his door,” Gibbs said.

The three agents left and made their way back to the bullpen. They were all quiet on the drive to the base. When they arrived, they saw McGee hard a work.

“What was that look for Tony?” Gibbs asked as he stowed his weapon.

“What if this was planned?” Tony asked right back as he stowed his weapon. “What if Stanton planned his first wife’s murder?

“It was,” McGee replied.

“Ok Probie, what have you got?” Tony questioned.

“I found out that his current wife and Stanton were having an affair before he killed Mary. I took an agent from Balboa’s team and went to question the neighbors on what kind of people they were. Pallen and I found out that she was there everyday when he was home. Do you know of anyone that has his or her nanny there when the husband is home? I don’t and I was a Navy brat. She was even there when Mary and their daughter went to Florida. I even question one neighbor that said the daughter was not home on the afternoon that Mary was killed. This neighbor saw the nanny put her in the stroller outside and they went for a walk.”

“So where did the baby cry come from on the 911 tape?” Gibbs turned to McCoy.

“I don’t know,” McCoy replied. “We never found the second baby monitor.”

“I bet the nanny took it with her from the bedroom,” Tony stated. “Those things have a far range. Remember that case we worked where a walkie talkie came over a baby monitor?”

“I remember,” McGee replied. “They would have to be in range of the other monitor picking up the signal. I bet she was just down the street when the killing took place.”

“Gibbs Gibbs Gibbs,” Abby said as she clomped into the bullpen with her boots.

“Abby what have you got?” Gibbs asked.

“I did not find a pool of blood on his clothes above the knees,” Abby stated as she handed over a sheet of paper. “I also took another look at the crime scene photos and noticed that the victims head was face down on the carpet. If Stanton knelt on the floor to move her body and placed her head in his lap there would have been blood. She also would have been face up.”

“Thanks Abby,” Gibbs replied.

“I’m not finished. I also went over his sweats and found blood spatter on the bottom half. The blood matched hers. That means he stood over his wife while he killed her. It confirms the results of the blood spatter on the wall beside the victim. I took another look at the photos and found out something interesting. While he was bent over to shoot Caulder a second time, I found gun shot residue on the pant legs of the sweats. He killed Caulder after he killed his wife.”

“Great work Abbs,” Gibbs said. “Now we have the evidence.”

***********

At the hospital, the agent guarding the room made sure he checked everyone’s identification on who went into the room. He wrote it down in a little book he carried. Dornegat wanted to be on the MCRT even if it was to work on looking up information. He wanted Gibbs to see that he was a good agent. As he was thinking this, the monitors went off in the room. He quickly entered the room and saw Stanton’s second wife push the button on the wall.

“Get a doctor quick!” Shelley Stanton yelled.

Dornegat was pushed aside as Dr. Pitt rushed into the room.

“What happened?” he asked as he checked the vitals of Stanton.

“I don’t know,” Shelley replied. “I was talking to him about coming home when the monitors went haywire.”

“Everyone get out!” Brad shouted. He then pushed another button on the wall. “Code Blue in ICU. STAT!”

Another doctor and two nurses entered the room with a crash cart and worked on Stanton.

Outside the room, Dornegat called Gibbs. “Gibbs, Dornegat here. Mrs. Stanton was visiting Stanton and the monitors went off. We don’t know how he is right now.”

“He’s going to make it,” Brad said to Dornegat as he was on the phone. “We got him stable again. Right now I don’t want anyone in the room until we wake him up from the coma.”

“You can’t keep me out!” Shelley shouted. “He’s my husband!”

“Yes we can,” Brad said. “I’m his doctor and I’m keeping restricted access to him. We will find out what happened. To do this, we don’t want anyone in there unless it’s me, and the nurses.”

“I’m going over your head,” Shelley shouted.

“Go ahead,” Brad demanded. “You don’t realize that I’m the one in charge of this hospital. I got this position two years ago. If you keep this up, I’m going to ban you from the hospital. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes doctor,” Shelley replied. “I’m sorry. I haven’t seen Murray in over a year. I just want him safe.”

“I see this all the time. Just let us do our jobs.”

“Let me know when he’s out of the coma,” Shelley cried. “I can’t lose him.”

“Go home and get some rest,” Brad said. “We’ll let you know.”

Shelley left the two men and went home.

Dornegat turned away from them. “Did you hear all that?”

“Yeah,” Gibbs replied. “I wonder if she was going to kill him.”

“Wouldn’t put it past her,” Dornegat answered.

“Thanks Dorney,” Gibbs said and hung up.

Dornegat laughed as he hung up his phone. Every time someone called him Dorney, he laughed. Somehow he was getting used to the nickname. He then turned back to Brad.

“Could you do something for me, Doc?” Dornegat asked.

“What’s that?”

“Check his blood for anything that’s unusual.”

“Do you think she could have tried to kill him?” Brad asked.

“Yes and so does Gibbs,” Dornegat answered. “I can hear his gut over the phone.”

“I’ll get right on that,” Brad said. “We’ll go over everything and give you a copy of the results. You have to obey Gibbs’ gut.”

“Thanks.” Dornegat then took up his position outside the room. “Could you also send samples to Abby Scuito for forensic testing?”

“I could do that,” Brad replied.

“Thanks.” He made a call to Abby to expect samples for testing to be done. He was glad to call Gibbs.

********

“That’s was Dorney,” Gibbs chuckled at the name. He then told them what went on at the hospital. “I wouldn’t put it past Dornegat to ask Brad to check everything.”

“He’s a great agent, Gibbs,” Tony replied. “He’s looking to get a spot on this team someday.”

“I may be able to help him out on that,” Vance stated. “I just received word that Ziva was shot and killed just outside the Cheltenham, Maryland facility. She was on her way to her car. We don’t have any suspects yet but they are getting close.”

“Shouldn’t we be on the case?” Gibbs asked.

“No, because it was on FLETC grounds,” Vance replied. “It is their case. Besides she was not an agent of NCIS. She was only a Liaison Officer. Her father has been informed of her death.”

Tony looked towards McGee. They both thought Ziva would have been a great agent after her training.

“We’ll have a private ceremony for her,” Tony quietly said. “She would have liked it.”

“We’ll have one at my place in a few days,” Vance said. “Now what about this case?”

Gibbs told Vance of what happened at the hospital. “We think she was trying to kill him.” Gibbs then turned to McGee. “Who’s the sole beneficiary on his life insurance?”

McGee got on his computer and brought up the forms. “It says that Shelley Stanton is the beneficiary of his one million dollar life insurance as well as all of his possessions. If he dies from his injuries from the shooting, she will be worth over two and a half million dollars. That includes the civil suit Stanton received against the company that hired Caulder.”

“McGee, look up all financial records for this family,” Gibbs said. “I want to know how secure she will be.”

“On it, Boss,” McGee said. He then went to work.

“I’m going to rewrite this report,” Tony said. “McCoy, I could use some help.”

“What do you need?” McCoy asked as he pulled up a chair next to Tony’s desk.

“Gibbs, my office.”

Vance and Gibbs proceeded to the director’s office. They passed his secretary as she handed them coffee. The door was then closed.

“What do you think of Agent Dornegat?” Vance asked.

“I think he would be a great asset to the bull pen. I’ve had the pleasure of working with him a few times and he has a great mind like McGee and also thinks like Tony.”

“You do know he’s gay?” Vance asked.

“Yup, knew that from the start,” Gibbs replied. “It doesn’t bother me. He told me in confidence when we had that case with the fashion model. But don’t we need a female on the team?”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Vance replied. “I had a talk with SECNAV and we have agreed to put a fifth member on your team.” He bent down into one of his drawers, pulled out a stack of folders and placed them on the desk. “These are agents that have exceeded our requirements. I think the top file would be of interest.”

Gibbs took up the first folder and opened it. There before him was Ellie Bishop. “Are you serious?”

“Yes,” Vance replied. “She would make a great agent. She’s a NSA analyst. Miss Bishop has some quirks that you will have to work with.”

“Quirks?”

“She’s like DiNozzo, an out of the box thinker. She works on the floor while she is researching and associates food with things. It’s what makes her a great agent. She applied two years ago but she got a job with NSA.”

“I know all about her,” Gibbs replied. “When her application came across my desk I was interested in her. I did some research of my own and found out I know her family. She has three brothers that keep an eye on her. They are very protective of her. Her mother and I went to school together. Barbara was two years behind me. When she got married, she moved to Oklahoma. I also looked into Ellie’s job. Her superiors think she would be a great asset to anyone who wanted her but they told me that they would never let her go.”

“I already had a talk with her and she would be willing to come over if you want her but it’s your decision.” Vance watched the look come over Gibbs’ face and knew from that expression that that they would be hiring her.

“I want her.” That was all that was said as he put the file on Vance’s desk with the other files. He looked to Vance and nodded.

“I’ll make it happen.” Vance then picked up the phone as Gibbs walked out of the office.

Gibbs arrived back in the bullpen. He stopped dead in his tracks when he looked at the big screen. “What’s this?”

“Well,” McGee started to say, “I went through the financials like you asked me to and found out that she purchased a bottle of anti-freeze two weeks ago. Do you know why a woman would purchase anti-freeze?”

Just then Gibbs got a call. “Yeah, Gibbs.” “Slow down Abby. What’s going on?” “Okay you do the testing. Check to see if there is anti-freeze in his sample. We just found a purchase for a bottle of the stuff. Thanks Abby.”

“What’s up?” Tony asked.

“Abby just received samples from Stanton. Dr. Pitt sent them because Dorney asked him. God, I got to quit calling him that.”

“He doesn’t mind,” McGee replied. “He likes the nickname. He was smart to ask Dr. Pitt that.”

“See, Gibbs,” Tony said. “I told you he would make a great agent.”

“And that’s why he’s coming to the bull pen. After this assignment, he will be one of us along with Ellie Bishop. SECNAV wants a five man team.”

“You have got to be kidding me!” Tony exclaimed. “Have you read some of her papers that have come out of NSA? She’s brilliant! Her mind works like McGee’s and mine. This is great.”

“When do you read periodicals?” McGee asked teasing.

“I like to keep up with other agencies,” Tony answered. “It’s nice to see what the other agencies are up to when it comes to procedures and ideas.”

“Back to the case,” Gibbs said. “Now why would she purchase anti-freeze?”

“Unless she had something to do with his shooting in Somalia,” Tony stated. “Now hear me out. Knowing that her husband won’t be home for another year, she plans the shooting for him to come home where she intends to kill him slowly but her plans didn’t include him being in an induced coma.”

“I need to go through her financials and phone calls again. There has to be something there that would implicate her.” McGee got on his computer and let his fingers do the walking. What he came up with astonished himself. Right there before him was the answer. He then called the bank manager. After a few minutes, he hung up his phone.

“I got something,” McGee said as he picked up the clicker for the screen. “These are the phone calls she made in the last two months. According to this, she called someone in Somalia four times. On this other sheet is her bank statement. It shows a $20,000 withdrawal from their joint account. I was just on the phone with the bank manager and he told me she wants to purchase a boat to go sailing. There is no boat registered to her or a slip in her name or Stanton’s.”

“Let’s go,” Gibbs stated. “All of us including you too, McCoy. MTAC.”

They all arrived at MTAC. There was no one in there at the moment.

“Can you make a call to Agent Chad Dunham in Somalia?” Gibbs asked the agent behind the desk.

“On it, Agent Gibbs,” the agent replied. One minute later she brought up Dunham.

“Agent Gibbs,” Dunham stated. “What can I do for you?”

“Agent Dunham, do you know about a shooting that took place about a week ago with a Staff Sergeant Murray Stanton?”

“Yeah, it was quite weird.”

“What do you mean weird?” Gibbs asked.

“Well, Stanton was in the armory cleaning his gun. There were a few others in there with him and then a shot was fired. When I had Agent Pinkerton look into it, he said that one of the other officers said that he made sure the barrel of his gun was free of bullets.”

“Not Gus Pinkerton?” Tony asked.

“One in the same,” Dunham replied. “Do you know him?”

“We grew up together on the same street,” Tony replied. “I heard he joined NCIS. Wonder why he went that route?”

“Anyway, there was a bullet, a 357 Magnum, in the chamber when it went off. He brought the rifle from home knowing he could shoot further with it than any other gun. According to his file it’s called…”

“The Marlin Limited,” Tony finished for him.

“How did you know that?” Dunham asked.

“There were only 2600 replicas made of the 1894 rifle. It’s a pump action rifle designed with a scope and a solid, rubber recoil pad. I came across one in Baltimore.”

“Do you know this officer’s name?” Gibbs asked.

“Yeah,” Dunham answered as he shuffled papers on his desk. “His name is Corporal Jimmy James.”

“Were they friends?’ McGee asked as he was taking notes.

“Yeah, he was present at his first wedding. He was best man. Why the interest?”

“We think that James could have been a gun for hire. Mary, Stanton’s current wife may have just tried to kill him. Both of them are implicated in the killing of his former wife.”

“You have got to be kidding me!” Dunham exclaimed. “I can’t see James doing something like that to his friend.”

“When money talks, you would do anything,” Tony replied.

“Thanks, Dunham,” Gibbs said. “We’ll keep you up to date.”

“Welcome Agent Gibbs,” Dunham replied.

Gibbs look to the agent at the console and dragged his finger across his neck to sever the call.

“McGee, look up Corporal Jimmy James and get me all you can on him. Tony I want you to go to his commanding officer and see what kind of man he is with other officers. Take McCoy with you. I’m going to the hospital and talk to Dr. Pitt and Dorney.”

When Gibbs arrived at the ICU, he watched as Brad came out of Stanton’s room.

“Doc how is he?” Gibbs asked Brad.

“We just finally got him stable. We ran the tests on Stanton and came up with nothing. How did Abby do?”

Gibbs got on the phone to Abby. “Abby what have you got for me?”

“Oh you are sneaky,” Abby replied. “I was just about to call you. I have the results that it was anti-freeze in his system. There was just enough to set the machines off to make it look like a heart attack. I’m sending the results to Dr. Pitt as we speak.”

“Thanks Abbs.” Gibbs then hung up the phone. He then turned to Brad. “She is sending the results now.”

“Let’s go to the desk and look.” When they arrived, Nancy was working the station. “Nancy, is there a fax for me from Abigail Scuito from NCIS?”

Nancy looked behind her as a sheet of paper came out of the fax machine. “Great timing. Here you go.”

Brad looked at the results and was shocked to what he was seeing. “It says that anti-freeze was in his system. She found it in one of his hairs we sent. It was collected one hour after his crash.”

“We found anti-freeze she purchased. We also found out that this was an accidental shooting from his best man from his first wedding.”

“There was nothing ‘accidental’ about that shooting,” Brad angrily stated. “The bullet was close enough that there was powder burns on his skin. You don’t shot a man that close and call it an accident. He should be strung up by his scrotum.”

Gibbs laughed. “I agree with you. Could you get a report together and send it to me? I want your findings on his crash and when he arrived here. Do you have someone taking photos of when patients arrive at the hospital?”

“Yeah we do. I made it procedure in case something like this happens. I’ll send the photos along with my report. We also have his clothes and I’ll send them along.”

“Thanks.” He then walked towards Dornegat. “What do you think about coming to NCIS MCRT?”

“It would be my greatest wish.”

“When this case is over, report to the bull pen. I got approval from Director Vance that you will be on my team. We’re also hiring Agent Ellie Bishop from NSA.”

“She’s a great agent. She will make a great agent on our team.”

“I agree.” Gibbs then walked away and made his way back to NCIS.

Dornegat couldn’t believe what he just heard from Gibbs. This was his greatest dream to be on the ‘Dream Team’ on the MCRT. This put a smile on his face the rest of the day.

**********

When Gibbs got back to the bullpen he noticed that Tony and McCoy were back.

“What did you find?” Gibbs asked as he stowed his gun.”

“Well,” Tony began, “we found out that Corporal James is an exemplary officer. Stanton got him into the Navy and they went through the ranks together. Stanton made Staff Sergeant as James made Corporal. Stanton had enough pull to get James to into his squad. They’ve been together ever since.”

“McGee,” Gibbs said.

“I found something interesting in his background. I checked his emails and phone calls and there were four calls from here in DC from Stanton’s residence. His financials is a different story. He was badly in debt until there was a deposit of $20,000 into his account. I called his bank and the manager said it was a wire transfer that came from a Shelly Peterson. She is the one married to Stanton. She used her maiden name. I checked her background and found out that James and her grew up together in the same neighborhood in Harrisburg, Philadelphia.”

“She sure made her rounds,” Tony chuckled.

“Tony, you and McGee go pick her up. Charge her for murder.”

“On it boss,” Tony replied as he got his gun and left with his partner.

“Gibbs…” McCoy started to say.

“McCoy there is no need to apologize,” Gibbs stated. “It’s a sign of weakness. It’s one of the many rules I have. Besides, if this case wasn’t in the cold case files, we would have never found two murderers. Your instincts were right one the money. You did a great job thinking that Stanton was defending his wife when in fact he was the one that murdered her. If he hadn’t come home with a bullet wound, we would have never realized that his second wife was trying to commit another murder. Man, this case is complicated.”

“With the time I spent here,” McCoy began, “I realize that there is more to finding out that a case is not solved unless all your ducks are in a row. I’m now ready to tackle my job better.”

“Cases are sometimes more complicated than you think,” Gibbs said. “I’ll be writing to your boss. How long did you spend on this case?”

“Four years. We exhausted all leads but there were still clues left that I never saw that were still there. If it wasn’t for fresh eyes like Tony’s, this case might still have been sitting there.”

“And we would never have found another murderer,” Gibbs finished.

Just then there was a scuffle going on when the elevator opened.

“You can’t do this to me!” the woman yelled as she struggled against the cuffs. “I haven’t done anything wrong!”

“You are being charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit murder as well attempted murder,” Tony stated as he handed Mrs. Stanton over to two other agents. “Put her in Interrogation Room 2 and guard her. She’s a feisty one. Also cuff her to the table.”

“What happened?” Gibbs asked as he watched her being led away. He then turned to Tony who was holding an ice pack on his face.

“We arrived at her house and she was putting a suitcase in the trunk of her car. Said she was going to her mother’s for a few days. I then informed her that she was being charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit murder as well as attempted murder. She laughed in our faces. I told her she was coming down to the station to face these charges and she slugged me. I will also be charging her with assault on an federal officer. She was read her Miranda rights and said she didn't need a lawyer because she is innocent.”

“Yeah,” McGee said. “She has one mean right hook.” He watched as the bruise was getting darker.

“Let’s go see what she has to say,” Gibbs stated.

“I’m not going into that room with her,” Tony stated. “Next time I could look like mincemeat.”

“No, I think you’ve had enough,” Gibbs said. “McCoy is coming with me.”

“Me?”

“You want this case solved then you will handle the interrogation,” Gibbs said. “This was your case first so I think you should finish it.”

“Thank you Agent Gibbs. Let’s go.” McCoy picked up the file that him and Tony put together with the other evidence and both left to talk to Mrs. Stanton.

“Want to watch?” Tony asked McGee.

“Hell yeah,” McGee stated. “I want to see McCoy in action. Maybe learn a few things.”

“I agree,” Tony replied. He took another ice pack with him and they left to the observation room.

Director Vance was watching from the balcony of the MCRT and watched McCoy. Vance somehow knew now that McCoy’s case was solved if it hadn’t been for the present Mrs. Stanton trying to kill her husband. He was going to keep an eye on McCoy’s career. He went back to his office to call the person in charge of Violent Crimes.

**********

In observation, Tony and McGee watched as McCoy questioned Mrs. Stanton.

“Now Mrs. Stanton, I’m Agent McCoy and I’m going to ask you a few questions.” He then opened the thicker file.

“I remember you,” Mrs. Stanton recalled. “You solved my husband’s case when that man killed his first wife.”

“How long have you known Staff Sergeant Stanton?” McCoy asked as he flipped through the file.

“I’ve known him since he hired me when his first wife wanted a nanny.”

“And how long have you known Corporal James?”

“He was best man at my wedding. Jimmy is Murray’s best friend.”

“So you never went to school with him?”

“No.”

“Well from our investigation, we found out you went to school with him. In fact you were in the same grade.”

Gibbs was sitting in the corner watching McCoy. He knew exactly where he was going with this.

“So you don’t remember him?”

“The class was big so no, I don’t remember him.”

“We also know that you knew Staff Sergeant Stanton before since you were having an affair with him.”

“That’s preposterous!” Mrs. Stanton shouted and got up from her chair.

“Sit down” Gibbs demanded as he got out of his chair. He never saw McCoy flinch. Good.

“We have witnesses that said you were seen at the residence when the former Mrs. Stanton wasn’t there. Can you deny this?”

“Yes I was there when the baby was with his mother. I was getting instructions from Murray about the care of the child.”

“Wouldn’t you get that from the former Mrs. Stanton?”

“She never knew how to raise a child. Mary didn’t want anything to do with her.”

“Then why did she go to her mothers for two weeks?”

“She went for a holiday to see her family.” Mrs. Stanton figured out that her goose was cooked.

“During the former Mrs. Stanton’s murder, why did you take the baby monitor with you when you took the child for a walk?”

“I didn’t.”  
“We know that you did because it was not in the child’s room and the child’s voice was heard over the phone call to 911.”

When McCoy didn’t receive an answer, he knew she took it. “You wanted to hear what was going on in the house didn’t you? It was you and Staff Sergeant Stanton that planned his first wife’s murder so that you could move in, didn’t you? Staff Sergeant Stanton was the one to call Caulder to show up so that he had a reason to defend his wife but it was to late.”

Tears flowed down her face knowing that she was caught.

“You also planned your husband’s murder with Corporal James. You hired him to kill Stanton but when that failed you tried to kill him by injecting anti-freeze into his system at the hospital. Isn’t that right?”

“That wasn’t me,” she said. “I don’t know who did it. It could have been that guard.”

“No it wasn’t Agent Dornegat. Dr. Pitt did a thorough investigation and it shows that someone injected something into his IV line. It was replaced and sent to our forensics lab here. Should I call Dr. Scuito on the results?”

“No, it was me,” she whispered.

“You were going to collect his insurance and everything of his. What were you going to do with the kids? Murder them too?”

“No!” she shouted. “I would never hurt the children.”

“Well, we will be charging you with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. You will also be charged for assaulting a federal officer. Let’s go Agent Gibbs. She makes me sick.”

Gibbs and McCoy left the room and closed the door. McCoy turned to one of the agents guarding the door.

“Take her down and book her on conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder and assaulting a federal officer.”

Just then the door to observation opened.

“Dr. Scuito?” Tony asked.

“I looked up her file and she has a doctorate in forensic science. Did you not know?” McCoy asked. “Besides, it made her name stand out in the interview.”

Just then clomping was heard coming down the hall.

“Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs,” Abby said. “I found something in the evidence Dr. Pitt sent over.”

“What have you got Dr. Scuito?” Gibbs smirked.

“How did you find out?” Abby asked. Then she turned to McCoy. “I was you, wasn’t it?”

“It made for an interesting interview when your name was stated.”

“Anyway, I found a needle mark in the IV line so I took a sample. It contained evidence of anti-freeze in the line. We got her for the attempted murder.”

“Good work Abby,” Gibbs said.

“I would also like to thank all of you for solving this crime,” McCoy stated. “If it hadn’t been for Tony’s eyes and his way of thinking, this case would have never been solved.”

“Yes it would have because then by now she would have murdered her husband,” Tony replied. “The first murder she would have gotten away with.”

“Thanks everyone,” McCoy said. “How about we go out to celebrate?”

“That’s a great idea,” McGee replied.

“Gibbs,” Director Vance began to say, “we have Corporal Jimmy James under arrest in Somalia. He confessed to being hired by Mrs. Shelley Stanton. He said the money was too hard to resist.”

“Thanks Vance,” Gibbs replied. “Want to come with us?”

“No thanks but I would like you all to include Dornegat and Bishop. They should be in the bullpen by now. When you make it to the restaurant, put the bill on the agency. You all did a great job.”

“Thanks Vance,” Gibbs said. “Let’s go grab them.”

They all made their way into the bullpen and the other two were standing there with smiles on their faces.

“Agent Gibbs, Agent Ellie Bishop,” Bishop said as she held out her hand. “It’s going to be a pleasure to be working with all of you.”

“Welcome aboard,” Gibbs said returning the handshake. “Dorney.” There was a smile on Gibbs’ face.

“Thanks Agent Gibbs,” Dornegat replied. “Or do you prefer Boss?”

“Boss works,” Gibbs replied. “We’re going to celebrate solving a cold case and a recent case. You both are welcome to join us.”

“That would be great,” Bishop said.

They all went out and had a great time. There was enough to feed an army. Ducky and Jimmy were also included in with the team. Bishop and Dorney would have to get used to them. There were smiles all around the table. Good food and good company came with agents that surrounded it.

THE END


End file.
